Annual Report 2007

It gives me huge pleasure to present the Annual Report for 2007, and to tell everyone how successful Guiding is in Surrey East. At all levels in the County there is so much going on. Many people have achieved major awards while others have worked with dedication to deliver stimulating evenings for the girls.

I hope you enjoy reading all about the exciting activities we've been doing in 2007.

Margaret Frosztega - County Commissioner

Girls in the Lead. In 2007 Girlguiding UK replaced their strapline 'Surprise Yourself' with 'Girls in the Lead'. Before the new strapline was chosen units across the UK were given the opportunity to make suggestions. We're pleased to say that our very own Dorking Rangers came up with the winning suggestion.

Congratulations girls!

Events and Activities. There were lots of successful events over the year. Divisions and Districts held camps, netball rallies and trails. All these activities help strengthen the girls' enjoyment and confidence, and allow them to enjoy the great outdoors. Some Districts took part in public events like Carol singing, Remembrance Day services, village fêtes or shows. Redhill District took part in their local carnival and won first prize for the best float - well done to all those involved!

Rainbows across the County participated in fun days, parties and sleepovers - a chance for many of the girls to spend their first night away from home.

Brownies took part in exciting Pack Holidays, sleepovers and excursions. Our very own campsite. Jordan Heights, held a Brownie 'Make Friends' day which allowed the girls to meet other Brownies across the County.

Guides took part in challenging outdoor pursuits including camps and activity days, and one unit even experienced a narrow boat holiday! In 2007 there were three Baden-Powell Challenge weekends, allowing 60 girls within the County to achieve the award. At the November challenge the girls took part in a worthy conservation project by making bat boxes.

Dirty Hands and Muddy Boots. In September 2007 we took part in Girlguiding Surrey West's Dirty Hands and Muddy Boots challenge. On two separate activity days Brownies from across the two counties explored the natural environment of plants and got their hands dirty. They compared organic and non-organic foods, made chocolate leaves, sniffed herbs, took cuttings, built wormeries, made scarecrows, wrote poems about flowers - and much more!

Guiding Star. In the Spring Guide and Senior Section members challenged themselves with the Guiding Star competition. The X-factor style competition, organised by Girlguiding UK, aimed to find a 'Guiding Star' from the thousands of young girls within the membership. In March the County heats were held. The girls learnt about singing techniques and how to improve their dance routines. Two finalists were chosen and these two acts went on to compete at the regional finals in Croydon's Ashcroft Theatre. After word perfect performances from both our acts, the girls were rewarded with second place in both categories (under 16's and 16 plus) Well done girls!

International Trips. Some of our Senior Section members were chosen to participate in Regional trips to India, Peru or Kenya. The trip is quite a challenge in itself, but raising the funds to go generates lots of exciting quizzes, evenings of fun, raffles and so on for all our members and supporters to take part in.

Within our County two groups of Guides and Senior Section members attended 'Liv 07', a Jamboree held in Denmark. The groups were hosted by Danish units and enjoyed living and working with them, as well as experiencing their 'different' styles of camping; making camp furniture and cooking in a very large wok! The girls had an opportunity to participate in a 24 hour wide game, celebrate the Scout centenary in an early morning ceremony, and many more activities based around the camp theme of 'Life'. After the camp one group headed home whilst the rest travelled on to Sweden. Many of the girls are still in contact with the friends they made at the Jamboree.

Awards. On an individual level we are pleased to have girls in our County who have completed their Queen's Guide award. These girls are to be congratulated on their perseverance and hard work, especially as this is so often undertaken while studying for A levels or at university.

Music. It was also impressive to see some of our Epsom girls in the Kingston and Malden Scout and Guide band. Again, personal dedication to achieving a standard of performance is needed by these young women.

Leadership and Training. We continue to attract new volunteers into Guiding, almost 160 in 2007. This enabled us to increase the number of girls who can experience Guiding. The Leadership team have been supported by the Trefoil Guild in mentoring new Leaders, and have experimented with new ways of mentoring. As a result an increased number of new Leaders have achieved their Adult Leadership award. They are to be congratulated and the Leadership team and Mentors should be thanked for their hard work and commitment.

All Leaders are asked to maintain their skills, and there were lots of opportunities throughout the year. The Outdoor Skills day at High Ashurst was very popular, as were the Computer Skills day, Holiday and Camp training weekend, the County Day, evening trainings and First Response trainings.

Financial Review. Our total incoming resources amounted to £95,332 compared to £95,696 in 2006. Our sources of income were from subscriptions, charges for activities, grants and donations. Resources used totalled £88,481 compared to £90,589 in 2006. The main areas of expenses were the census fee paid onto Region, and training. Administrative expenses amounted to £6,609 (2006: £5,378), the increase being attributable to increased public relation costs. Net incoming resources were £6,851 which increased the total funds of the County from £67,457 to £74,308. Total funds are largely held as cash on deposit and cash at bank.

We are grateful for the support of Surrey County Council through their grant towards the costs of units which meet in school premises, and towards our training costs for young women. Many of the opportunities for Leaders were open to older Guides or Senior Section members.

All the activities across the County are only possible through the dedicated work of adult Leaders supported by Unit Helpers, the Trefoil Guild and other supporters. Thanks to everyone for your support for Girlguiding Surrey East. Without you we would not be able to deliver a vibrant, exciting and challenging programme for the benefit of girls and young women in the County.

Statistically speaking, within the County there were 757 Rainbows, 2168 Brownies, 1290 Guides, 216 Senior Section members, 488 Leaders and Commissioners, 48 'Other Members', 307 non-members, and the Trefoil Guild. Total Census numbers at February 2008 were 4967.